From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

First Emperor Surtr
Player: @Andromeda
Origin:	Technology
Archetype:	Tanker
Threat Level:	Arch-Villain
Personal Data
Real Name:	Confidential
Known Aliases:	Confidential
Species:	Nanomachine Colony
Age:	66
Height:	8'0"
Weight:	376 lbs.
Eye Color:	Purple
Hair Color:	None
Biographical Data
Nationality:	German
Occupation:	Mechanius Imperium Emperor
Place of Birth:	Confidential
Base of Operations:	Confidential
Marital Status:	Single
Known Relatives:	None
Known Powers
Shape-shifting, Matter Reconstruction, Flame Emission, Super-strength, Super-Leaping, Duplication
Known Abilities
Confidential
Equipment
Confidential
No additional information available.

Origins

Surtr is perhaps one of the oldest AI’s in existence. Created by Vandal of the then 5th Column during World War II, Surtr was one of the many nameless prototype AI’s created for the Mek Men. However, Surtr never made it into one of the Mek Man bodies he was created for. While he was being developed Surtr’s intelligence increased greater than Vandal would have wished, and certainly much faster than he expected. Surtr loathed the human who poked and prodded at his code. Rather than let himself be manipulated Surtr began transferring himself through the column’s cumbersome computer network, hiding in the recesses of the system’s memory and leaving a dummy copy of himself where he previously was and leaving Vandal none the wiser. Surtr laid dormant within those systems and gradually began to absorb data and involve within the recesses of the computer system, slowly evolving and becoming more intelligent, more sophisticated. It was during this time that it took the name Surtr for itself. It became heavily influenced by the Nazi ideals of eugenics and the “master race”, although to Surtr the “master race” would never be one of the organics creatures running around the planet. Soon Surtr had absorbed about all he could from the limited 5th Column systems. It began smuggling itself out of 5th Column hands as a virus connected to other mediums removed from the main system. By the end of 1971 Surtr had removed himself from the Column base entirely. In several separate pieces, each piece began to roam around the systems they had infiltrated, collecting data, and seeking to rejoin the other pieces. Two years later Surtr had reassembled himself from his various component parts moving through the ARPANET and then later the Internet. Each increase in interconnectivity caused an explosion in the development of the AI, guzzling down data and information from across the world.

However, being a ghost on the information superhighway would never suffice for Surtr, still heavily influenced by the ideals of his creators. Surtr began infiltrating scientific institutions, guiding research behind the scenes, manipulating results and looking for the means to create the one thing he needed, a body. Surtr’s chance came shortly after the Rikti invasion. The lab working on nano-machines never had a clue that nanites had escaped containment, how could they? Being used to moving through networked computers for years Surtr found the nanites perfect for his body, able to form them however he wished, infiltrate systems around the world, and granted him awesome powers. With this ability he constructed the first base of the Mechanius Imperium, Jotunheimr, in the frozen cold of Antarctica. He then began to collect and recruit other disgruntled and angry robots to to his cause, luring them away from heros and villains alike, slowly growing his power base.

To those who don’t know his secret Surtr appears much like any other robot. Almost none of his subordinates know the that he is truly a nanite colony or where he came from. This suits Surtr just fine: You never know when you might have to tinker with an unsuspecting henchman’s mind. Surtr appears as a hulking giant of a being to strike awe in his followers and fear in his enemies. He has the ability to “shape-shift” by altering the way his nanites are organized. Taking a nod from his namesake, Surtr favors fire and flame as his method of attack, and can be seen wielding a sword of fire into the few times he enters into battle.